“I wish I could have been there to see it.” I laughed softly. “Is Raf back in his cell?”
“Yeah, he passed out from the pain once he severed it. It was easy to get him back in there.” Hazai glanced at me, a familiar glint of mischief in his eyes. “I’m going to round up a small group of demons to plant seeds in the general managers of all the Voodoo locations.” He glanced over at Lilith, the amusement draining from his eyes. “Once I have our little army set up, I need to check on some things for the feast. Hopefully, Lilith is feeling well enough to attend.”
Her birthday was technically the day after tomorrow. She had been born at midnight, so she would be coming into her power after the Samhain feast. I wasn’t experienced with situations like this, so I had no idea how long it would take for her to mentally recover from what she had just gone through.
“I hope so,” I murmured, frowning at her sleeping form.
“Keep an eye on her. I’ll take care of everything else,” Shem said, and I nodded at him gratefully. He snapped his fingers, and the pool of blood disappeared.
“I’m going to mount her little spoon on the wall in the kitchen. Tell her she can visit it whenever she’s missing him,” Shem said, slipping it into his pocket and heading for the door. He paused on his way out and looked back at me, his green eyes flashing with something that looked suspiciously like remorse.
“I’m sorry for making you feel guilty earlier, Ram. You know I didn’t mean that. It’s not your fault, it’s Yahweh’s, and we’re going to make Him fucking pay for everything He’s done to her. Done tous,”Shem promised, and I nodded at him.
He was my best fucking friend. I didn’t know what I ever did to deserve a friend like him, but I was grateful every day that we had found each other.
“Thanks, Hazai. I’ll take care of her. Keep me updated on how things go with Voodoo.”
He grinned at me. “Obviously, asshole,” he quipped before disappearing out the door and down the hall.
“I’m the thing that monsters have nightmares about.”
—BUFFY SUMMERS, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Ilooked up into the face of God, and He smiled at me, His ever-changing mouth filled with teeth nearly as white as the blinding abyss He called ‘Heaven.’
‘Lilith. It has been a long time.’ His tone was gentle and kind. He spoke to me as if I were a friend or a favored cousin.
I couldn’t answer. Panic coursed through me as I realized that I seemed to be frozen in place. I attempted to move but found my hands were bound by a curious golden noose.
‘Apologies for the extra precautions; you have proven to be more… difficult than I had originally anticipated.’ Yahweh’s voice sounded full of remorse as if tying me up were a regrettable but necessary endeavor.
I blinked against the brightness. After weeks in Hell, the blinding white of Heaven was too much, and I was having trouble making out my surroundings.
As my eyes adjusted, I realized we seemed to be surrounded by an endless army of angels. Their messy bodies, composed of eyes and wings, hovered silently above the misty clouds that made up Yahweh’s kingdom. I was kneeling before a pit filled with shining golden gears.
Clink, grind, whrrrlll.
Clink, grind, whrrrlll.
Clink, grind, whrrrlll.
The machinechugged away in the echoing silence. I wanted to ask why I was here. I wanted to ask what His plan for me was, but I couldn’t speak or move. All I could do was wait with the burn of a million angel eyes raking over my flesh, leaving little fiery trails of shame in their wake.
‘I brought you here to show you what happens when you defy me, Lilith,’ Yahweh whispered. He snapped His fingers, and Mike appeared, bound like I was, with his hands behind his back.
He met my gaze, and I felt my mouth drop open in shock.
“Lil,” he grunted, his gray eyes filled with worry. “I’m sorry I let yah down.”
I struggled against my restraints, suddenly desperate to get to him. He was only a few short feet away. I wanted to tell him how grateful I was that he had tried to help me, but I wished that he hadn’t. I wanted to tell him about the spoon I had gotten him but never had the chance to give him. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was that he had gotten tangled up in my mess.
My mouth opened, but my words were bound, and no sound left my lips as I tried to scream Mike’s name.
Without warning, Yahweh manifested a golden scepter and slammed it across Mike’s skull. Blood exploded from his temple, and black ink splattered across my face.
I screamed silently as Yahweh brought the scepter down again and again. He continued to bludgeon the angel long after it was clear he had been unmade.
I quivered helplessly as Mike’s lifeless eyes stared up at me from where he had fallen into the clouds.
